Local information about Breckenridge and Summit county real estate and information about what's going on in the County.

Saturday, February 04, 2006

Now That's a LOT of Snow

Too much snow can be a bad thing if ice skating is your winter sport of choice.

The town of Silverthorne has determined that it will not open its ice rink at the North Pond this year because of heavy snowfall, according to public works director Bill Linfield.

The staff has not been able to clear the ice and prepare the rink's surface this year because of early and frequent snowfall, Linfield said.

The ice historically needs to be closed in late February or early March due to temperatures and runoff that makes the surface unsafe, so trying to get the ice ready this late in the season doesn't make much sense, he said. The town, which focuses its maintenance efforts primarily on streets and sidewalks, hopes to offer the free ice rink next winter.

It's also unlikely that the Meadow Creek Pond in Frisco will open this season for similar reasons, according to Frisco's public works department. The town issued a press release in late December saying the ice rink would remain closed until a later date because the high volume of early season snow had created unsafe conditions for employees to bring snow removal equipment onto the ice.

Those conditions have not improved, said town spokesperson Julie Sutor.

There are alternatives in the county. Copper Mountain, Keystone and Breckenridge all have ice rinks at or near the ski resorts, and the Stephen C. West Indoor Ice Arena in Breckenridge is open daily and offers public skate times.